The Newark couple opened the business after Romeo was laid off after working for the same company for 25 years, and Lalaine's beloved mother, Zen, died.

Avid cooks and backyard barbecuers, the Balans decided to dip into their life savings and go into the business for themselves.

Lalaine quit her job in medical billing to help her husband, whom she calls "Pop-Pop."

Much of their barbecue is "American-style." Romeo, who for years cooked on a smoker in his backyard blends his own dry rubs and makes the dark, tangy barbecue sauce, a combination of molasses, brown sugar, garlic, apple cider vinegar and a variety of spices.

The brisket sandwich is fork-tender and the pulled pork sandwich moist and tangy.

In a nod to the couple's Filipino heritage, they also offer "pinoy style" dishes they grew up with. Lalaine is from Cebu Island, a top tourist destination in Philippines, and Romeo, who has 13 siblings, hails from the Mindanao region.

Slow, spit-roasted pork lechón, whole roasted suckling pig, a staple of any Filipino gathering, is often available on weekends. Romeo learned how to make the Cebu-style pork from Lalaine's father, Alfonzo, who was known as "Fon." They also offer it for catered parties.

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Philippine Smoked BBQ and Grill in Elsmere, owned by the husband-and-wife team of Romeo and Lalaine Balan, is opening a second location in Elkton, Maryland, just over the Delaware state line.(Photo11: SUCHAT PEDERSON/THE NEWS JOURNAL)

The Elsmere shop and the Balans' lechón was recently featured on Eater.com, a website devoted to national food news. The video of the process was posted on Sept. 13.

The Balans will continue staples such as their Filipino-style breakfast and they will likely expand their menu at the Elkton site

Right now, they offer samples of most everything on the menu for customers to try before ordering. The Filipino dishes, which can include pancit noodles, change often according to what Lalaine feels like making on any given day.

A must-try are "Omy Fingers," crunchy, bite-size Shanghai-style spring rolls stuffed with smoked meat and served with a slightly spicy sweet-and-sour sauce.

Lalaine says they will continue to cook and smoke turkeys for customers at Thanksgiving.

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico